Extra Crunch roundup: AI eats fintech, fundraising visas, no-code transition tips, more – TechCrunch

Most American retail banks are designed the same way: Customers must pass several desks set aside for loan and mortgage officers before they can talk to a customer representative. I only step inside a bank a few times each year, but even pre-pandemic, I can't remember the last time I saw someone sitting at one of those desks. Everyone I know who's obtained a home or business loan in the recent past started with an online application process. For this morning's column, Alex Wilhelm interviewed Dave Girouard, CEO of Upstart, an AI-powered fintech lender that expects to see growth increase 114% this year. A forecast like that suggests that retail banks have gotten comfortable with using automated tools to calculate risk, which may help explain all the empty desks at my local branch.